A Mother's Burden
by Baileyfish
Summary: Ikuko watches her daughter sleeping and thinks about her connection to the Sailor Senshi. Short, one shot. Updated: part 2. Wherein Shingo thinks about the changes in his sister.
1. A Mother's Burden

a/n: One shot, from Ikuko's point of view. Please comment!

disclaimer: I do not own sailor moon or any of those wonderful characters.

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"A Mother's Burden"

Ikuko padded silently down the hall towards he daughter's room. When she had woken abruptly only minutes earlier, she had felt a strong desire to check on her children. No, though, that's not right. Not her children, just her daughter. That was why she had just slipped past Shingo's room and stopped in front of Usagi's. Inwardly sighing, she fingered the plaque that hung in front of her. She could remember when she had bought this... her little girl had actually been a little girl. So innocent and sweet. Not that she had lost those qualities at all! In fact, they've only managed to intensify as Usagi grew into a teenager. It's just that she's so grown-up.

Quietly, she pushed the door open and smiled at the sailor senshi sprawled out on the bed. As her maternal instincts kicked in, she gently picked her daughter up and eased her under the blankets. Briefly, Ikuko thanked the heavens it was she, and not Kenji, who was tucking Usagi in. He would not have accepted the short skirt half as well as she did. When she was content that Usa was tucked in properly, she looked sadly down at her. Ikuko was not prepared for her baby to grow-up this quickly. She was only 15, for kamis sake. She was supposed to be worrying about homework and boys and dance, not those horrible youma that she fought night after night. Not for the first time, Ikuko cursed the higher powers for making it HER daughter that had to deal with all of this.

It hadn't taken long for her to connect the mysterious Sailor Moon with her own little girl. Enough video footage of the senshi fighting had shown a little klutz attack or signature wail that Ikuko knew could have only come from her daughter. Of course, the fact that both girls shared the same unusual hairstyle, the hairstyle that Ikuko used to create every morning, was also a huge clue.

That same video footage had also shown a brave, strong and powerful girl - no, WOMAN. Her little bunny had saved so many lifes, and fought so bravely! And all that power! Despite all her fears, Ikuko was so proud of Usagi. She knew that was Usagi did was good and right. She just wished, sometimes, especially on nights when her little girl crawled back into her window so exhausted she forgot to de-transform, that it didn't have to be her little girl. How was a mother supposed to accept all the bruises and cuts? What could she do except treat them and pretend to believe Usagi's excuses of klutz attacks.

It wasn't until a tear landed on Usagi's cheek that Ikuko realized she was crying. With a resigned sadness, she kissed Usa's forehead, gently smoothed back her golden hair and turned away. In the morning, she'd make sure to knock on her door before she entered, so that Usagi could de-transform quietly and think her secret was safe. For now, however, she could only close the door on her sleeping superhero. 


	2. Hidden Questions

A/N - First, I want to thank anyone who is reading this, especially the ones who commented. I didn't plan on anything bad part one, but sudden inspiration is not something to ignore. Not that this is anything big - a little one-shot, like the first part. I just didn't see the point of posting separately. I'm also not planning on anything past this. Comments are, as always, appreciated.

Disclaimer - I do not own Sailor Moon, or any associated characters or worlds.

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Pt. 2 - Hidden Questions

Shingo was watching the news when Usagi walked into the room. It was another report on the mysterious senshi - some budding photographer had taken yet another fuzzy picture filled with bright lights and silhouttes. The anchorman had just introduced some self-proclaimed expert on all things senshi when Usagi snatched the remote from his hands and changed the channel.

"I was watching that, meatball head!" He wasn't really, but she didn't need to know that.

"Oh, please! All of this senshi mania is so stupid," she scoffed. And there it was again. Shingo clearly remembered a sister who anxiously awaited the new Sailor V manga and was late coming home each day because she was playing the Sailor V game at the Crowne Palace. This blonde flipping through the stations looked like his sister, and most of the time she acted like her; however, every once in a while there was something off. Whenever the Sailor Senshi were brought up, she'd get real quiet and this strange look would creep into her eyes - a little sad, a little wistful and a little mature. It annoyed him, for Shingo found he couldn't fight with Usagi when she had that look.

The fast-paced channel surfing stopped abruptly - on another news channel, ironically. Shingo broke from his thoughts to hear the reporter announce the breaking news of a youma attack at the mall. They cut to shaky camera footage of a 6-foot scaly monster, and Shingo almost jumped from the sudden screams. The image zoomed in and they could see the cause - the youma had a little girl grasped in one of its hands (did they have hands? Shingo absently wondered). Usagi stood quickly, dropping the remote to the ground.

As the batteries rolled under the chair, Shingo looked up at her. Her fists were clenched and there was a fire in her eyes that almost made him back instinctively away. This was the mysterious new Usagi again; she was tall, imposing and powerful. Shingo paused - powerful? Where had that come from? He shook his head, reminding himself of her latest klutz attack, but when he looked again, he couldn't deny it. There was a power radiating from her. However, before he could think on it any more, she darted from the room. Shingo could hear the door slam as the screen went black, and the anchorwoman returned. Sighing, he decided that his sister was just being a stupid teenager again. However, when another fuzzy shot of the Sailor Senshi popped up on screen, he couldn't help but think there was something familiar about the leader with the pigtails. 


End file.
